First Off the Field: S Cyprien, WR Hurns miss with hip flexors

The latest news as the Jaguars complete their second practice of the week.

JACKSONVILLE – Caution was the watchword Tuesday.

With starting running back Toby Gerhart already day to day with a hip flexor, the Jaguars on Tuesday held rookie free-agent wide receiver Allen Hurns and second-year starting safety Johnathan Cyprien out of practice because of similar injuries.

Jaguars Head Coach Gus Bradley said particularly in the case of Cyprien, the decision to not practice the players was about being smart and minimizing the chance of a long-term situation.

Cyprien worked briefly Tuesday before Bradley made the decision to pull him out.

“That was on me,” Bradley said of Cyprien Tuesday afternoon after the Jaguars worked for about two hours, twenty minutes in the late morning and early afternoon in 89-degree temperatures at the Florida Blue Health and Wellness Practice Fields.

“He felt like he could have gone. We have a couple of hip-flexor deals, and his was a little bit tight. I said, ‘We’ll be good.’ You’ll have a chance to get some Tampa stuff Thursday, some of the same looks, so let’s just do it then.’ You have some flexibility this time of year. It is preseason. We’ve had some signs like this with some other guys. We saw it coming, so we wanted to err on the side of being conservative.”

Bradley overall called Tuesday a good day, with time spent on Friday’s preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Bradley said the Jaguars didn’t try to game plan against Tampa Bay’s scheme as much as spending time on how to prepare for the game.

“The whole idea is to prepare so you can trust your preparation and play well in the game when it counts,” Bradley said, adding that the team is still in the phase of working more against each other than an opponent.

“I thought it was better,” Bradley said of Tuesday’s drills. “I thought the receivers were better.”

Bradley said the coaching staff will meet Wednesday night to determine starters and repetitions against the Buccaneers. He also added that he would like to see Gerhart play about five plays Friday. Gerhart has been out the last four days.

Rookie offensive guard Brandon Linder returned to practice Tuesday after being out three days with a foot injury. Veteran offensive tackle Austin Pasztor and veteran defensive end Chris Clemons also had practice off Tuesday.

The Jaguars will hold a walkthrough practice later Tuesday afternoon, and will hold another practice at 9:55 a.m. Wednesday. Wednesday’s practice is free and open to the public, and the Jaguars will work that day in pads.

The Jaguars will play host to Tampa Bay at EverBank Field in their first 2014 preseason game Friday at 7:30 p.m.

The play of the day might be better described as entire drill. Rookie wide receiver Marqise Lee turned in a memorable performance during one-on-one, receiver/defensive back drills, catching numerous passes and getting open consistently. He caught at least one deep pass down the sideline for a touchdown and was open for several deep sideline routes for long gains. Jaguars Radio Analyst Jeff Lageman called it one of the best one-on-one receiving drills he ever has seen.

HIGHLIGHTS

*Wide receiver Mike Brown also was impressive in one-on-one receiving drills, continuing to take advantage of opportunities with multiple injuries at the receiver position. …

*Safety Winston Guy continued to be active in practice, breaking up two passes on Tuesday. …

*Rookie quarterback Blake Bortles also continued to look good in practice, showing good vision and accuracy, particularly on intermediate routes. …

*Rookie linebacker Telvin Smith had a pass breakup that was nearly an interception in a 7-on-7 drill. …